Production of heat and its



I S/KM D. LA COUR AND C. V. SCHOU.

PRODUCTION OF HEAT AND ITS APPLICATION FOR HEATING LIQUIDS AND OTHERPURPOSES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-SUI 19l5.

OF E

IDAIN' LA COUR, OF CHARLOTTENL'UND, NEAR COPENHAGEN, AND CECIL VILHELMSCHO'U, OF COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.

PRODUCTION OF HEAT AND ITS APPLICATION FOR- HEATING LIQUIDS AND OTHERPUREOSES.

- am-me.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DAN LA Conn and CECIL VILHELM SoHoU, subjects ofthe King be a full, clear and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to improvements in and connected with theproduction of heat and its application for, heating liquids. by means ofthe reaction heat generated by certain chemical processes and has forits object an especially appropriate form of heating cartridgeand aheating container adapted for use therewith.

As heat developing material for such a cartridge is advantageously usedthe well known mixture of an easily oxidizable metal such as aluminum ormagnesium and a metal oxide such as iron oxide which is able to generatea considerable amount of heat without forming gaseous combustionproducts. It is a well known fact that such mixtures of aluminium andmetal oxides are difiicult to bring to reaction and can only be ignitedby means of igniting means which contain combustible substances mixedwith material readily liberating oxygen such as perchlorate of potassiumor peroxide of barium. A cartridge which contains such substances is,however, dangerous, being too liable to be ignited accidentally.

According to the present invention the cartridge is prepared in such amanner that it contains an ignition substance which is not easilyignitable per se as it does not contain substances which easily give ofioxygen but which are, however, able to be ignited at the temperaturegenerated through the combustion of the substances of which the headsofsafety matches are generally made. It is hereby secured that such acartridge canbe made ready immediately before its use by insertion of amatch or fusee while the cart ridge-and the chlorate of potassiumcontaining ignition means are kept separately be- Specification ofLetters I'atent.

' under the same.

Patented May 23,1922.

Application filed. September 30, 1915. Serial No. 53,474.

ridge with the cover removed. I

Figure 4 1s a transverse section of'same with the lid applied on thesame.

Figure 5 is a similar View showing the ig nition match applied. 1

Fig. 6 is a plan of a modified form of cartridge lid.

Figure 7 is a transverse section of same showing the ignition matchinserted therethrough.

The apparatus shown in Figure 1 consists of a container (1. of circularor oval shape adapted to receive be heated.

The lid 9 is formed with a downwardly extending cylinder 7: open at top,which may be formed of tinned iron plate, and this is provided at itslower end with a short cylindrical box having a heavy bottom ispreferably of copper. This is preferably of the section shown being atthe bottom of more or less. conical shape and having a centraldeflecting point Z w ich is in touch with a considerable quantity ofwater, and owing to its shape assists a lively How of the water This isessential to the duration of the apparatus, as a heavy for mation ofsteam wlth stagnant steam bubbles causes so great a heating of thebottom that thecontact between the metal wall and the circulating wateris interrupted and the so-called Leidenfrosts' phenomenon takes place,which further reduces the transmission of heat so that the bottombecomes in candescent. This, which easily occurs when a Hat bottom isused, does not occur with the shape of bottom shown even if the water inthe container (1 boils intensely, the rapid circulation of the waterunder the bottom is preventing so intense, a heating of its lower thewater or liquid 1) to surface that its continuous moistening by water isprevented. The cylinder 7:. is provided with a cover m which carries atube it, through which a lighted match or fuse can be thrown down whichwill strike the centre of the cartridge 0 resting on the bottom in.

The apparatus shown gives a very high efiiciency the entire process andthe transmission of the heat to the contents of the vessel being endedin the course of a few minutes, during which time the loss of heat tothe surroundings is but insignificant.

The container at shown in Figure 2 is formed with a raised portion inthe middle of its bottom 00 forming a cavity y under the same which canaccommodate a fuel cartridge .2. The cartridge is in this case placeddirectly on the ground, and the efiiciency may be considerably augmentedif the bottom is provided with a number of studs 0, of copper, whichsubsequently to melting of the cartridge are pressed down into contactwith it by a simple pressure of the hand on the top of the container awhich is thereby pressed down into the sand or ground on which it isresting.

As heat producing means is used a cartridge preferably containing amixture of powdered aluminium and one or other form of iron oxide.- Theiron oxide produced by roasting pyrites has been found speciallysuitable particularly when it has been subjected to chlorinationroasting and treatment with water for the extraction of copper and hasbeen thoroughly dried. The presence of sulphur is'to be avoided, notthat it interferes with the reaction but may give rise to offensiveodours owing to the action of moisture in the atmosphere.

The mixture of aluminium powder and iron oxide preferably containsapproximately equivalent weights of the two constituents, the equivalentweight of iron oxide if anything belng slightly greater than that of thealuminium. The mixture is brought into a case or capsule of sheet metaland is compressed into cakes or blocks of the desired size in a suitablepress.

One form of fuel cartridge is shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. In thisform 2 indicates the cartridge case or capsule, 3 the compressed mixtureand 4 a cavity therein adapted to receive a suitable ignition devlce.cult to ignite, that is to say start the reaction, in the mixture. Asuitable method of ignition is to insert in the space 4 some materialwhich on ignition developes sufficient heat and a hi h enoughtemperature to ignite the cartri ge. Various materials may be used forthis purpose, but we prefer to employ a mixture of powdered magnesiumand oxide of copper which is not easily inflammable per se but moreeasily This latter is necessary as it is difii-"' cartridge. As thismixture burns so quickly and is apt to detonate on ignition we prefer tomix with it some other substance or substances to reduce the speed ofcombustion and so ensure that the main cartridge is properly ignited.For this purpose we have found that if some of the fuel mixture, thatis. the aluminium-iron oxide mixture, is mixed with the magnesium andoxide of copper an ignition mixture is found which answers the purposeexcellently.

Figure 4. is a transverse section through a complete cartridge. Thelower portion 6 of the case or capsule is filled by the compressed cakeor block of aluminium powder and ironv oxide and in the central cavityis placed the ignition powder 5. Over the top of these is placed a'piece of strong paper and over this again is placed the lid 7 having acentral opening I8. Such a cartridge can be kept for any length of timeand is perfectly safe to handle.

YV hen the cartridge is to be used the paper cover 9 is pierced throughthe opening 18 in the lid and the head 10 of a fusee is inserted intothe cartridge in the manner shown in Figure 5. The cartridge is thenignited by setting fire to the end of the fusee projecting out of thecartridge. When such a cartridge is for instance employed in theapparatus shown in Figure 1, and a lighted fusee is thrown down'throughthe tube n this effects the ignition of the head 10 of the fuseeinserted in the cartridge, and thereby the combustion of the cartridgeis started.

Although the head of the fusee 10 generally is sufficiently secured bythe paper 9, the lid 7 may, if desired, be punched in the manner shownin Figure 6 or in a manner similar thereto, so that points 8 are formedwhich are somewhat bent down on. the in tion of the match-head 10, asshown in Fig ure 7, and firmly secure same.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the saidinvention what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of U. S.America is:

l. A heating cartrid e comprising a capsule, an aluminum an iron oxidecombuscomprising magnesium and copper oxide disposed within a cavity insaid combustible' mixture, and adapted to receive a fusee.

2. A heatin sule, a non-car on combustible mixture contained therein, anigniting mixture comprising magnesium and a stable oxide of a cartridgecomprising a capheavy metal and not readily-infiammable per se, saidigniting mixture being disposed within a cavity in said combustiblemixture.

3. A heating cartrid e comprising a capsule, a non-carbon combustiblemixture contained therein, an igniting mixture comprising magnesium anda stable oxide of-a heavy metal and a small proportion of the main heatsupplying mixture, said igniting mixin said combustible mixture andadapted to ture being disposed within a cavity in sald receive a fusee.combustible mixture and adapted to receive In testimony whereof We afiixour siga fuses. 1 natures in presence of two witnesses.

5 4. heating cartri ge inc uding a, capsule, an aluminum and iron oxidecombus- SCHOU tible mixture therein, an igniting mixture comprisingmagnesium and copper oxide and Witnesses: a small proportion of thealuminum-iron F PETERSEN, 10 oxide fuel mixture disposed Within a cavityE. FREDERIKSEN.

